


This is a story...

by ll4nce



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's, Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga), Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal
Genre: Alternate Universe - Warring Kingdoms, Knights - Freeform, M/M, Mages, Making Hard Decisions, Manaketes, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pegasusknights, The whole paket lmao, Wyvernknights, but im trying, classes somewhat fire emblem inspired, dimensions as kingdoms, i cant write fighting scenes for shit, im only tagging characters that actually said something lmaoooo, kings - Freeform, people are dying left and right, the fusion guys are always the bad guys, vector why, yuboys as kings, yusei can see the future
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-08
Updated: 2018-10-12
Packaged: 2019-07-28 06:26:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16236035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ll4nce/pseuds/ll4nce
Summary: This is a story of four warring kingdoms.After a declaration of war by the militaristic and strong kingdom Fusinorion, ruled with an iron fist by Fusinorion Yuri III, the three remaining kingdoms, the progressive and advanced kingdom Sychronadonia, ruled by the young and adventurous Sychronadonia Yugo, the poor but rebellious kingdom of Xymanz, their king Xymanz Dark Yuto calm and fierce, and the peaceful kingdom of Pendulosen, ruled by the beloved but inexperienced Pendulosen Sakaki Yuya, have two choices; fight together against the Fusinorian army or perish.





	1. Goodbye, I'll be safe

**Author's Note:**

> Fixed the problems with Xymaniz/Xymanz and Sychronadonianian and Fusinorionian.

“You promise you will be back soon?”, III asked with a worried gaze, IV waving him off. 

“Don't worry. This is a peaceful mission. And Kaito, Rio, Ryoga, and Shun will be with me. You know they're strong. And I am too.”

III nodded, but there was still a glint of worry in his eyes. “Please be safe, brother.”

He tried to pull his brother into a hug, but IV pried him off, embarrassed. “Stop that. You know I don't do hugs. I'll be safe, I promise.”

With a shake of his head, III smiled and pulled back, IV theatrically dusting off his shoulders, rolling his eyes. “I'll be going now.”

“But aren't you going to say goodbye to V?”

The middle Arclight shrugged his shoulders. “Why should I? I'll just be gone for a day. Plus a goodbye can't be that important to him if he doesn't show his face here at all.”

III frowned. “You know he's busy.”

“Busy my ass. No one's too busy to talk to his brothers. I swear I haven't talked to him in a month and we live in the same place! You'd think he'd manage to drop a 'hello’ or something once in a while”, IV said with a snappish voice.

His brother didn't answer, only looking up to him with a worried gaze, clearly signaling him how much he wished that they all would get along, but IV averted his eyes.

“Goodbye, Michael.”

After a short break of silence, he answered. “Goodbye, Thomas. Be safe.”

IV nodded and smiled. “Yeah, I got it. If Chris notices I'm gone, tell him I'm on a mission and that I'll totally miss him.”

III really looked like he wanted to answer something, but IV didn't give him a chance as he turned around and waved him over his shoulder without looking back, making his brother watch his retreating back with a frown.

“Finally done saying goodbye to your little brother? Took you a while.”

“Shut up, Ryoga, if Rio didn't come along you would need even more time.”

The blue-haired boy rolled his eyes at that, swinging his trusty spear over his shoulder. “Maybe you're right. Anyway, shall we go now?”

His sister nodded, Kaito and Kurosaki raising while getting their own weapons ready. “Yeah, let's”, Kurosaki said, looking at King Yuto, who was awaiting them at the gates of Astabarial. 

“My lord, we're ready to depart”, he said, Yuto nodding. “Good luck and come back safe.”

“My lord!” All of them responded, saluting and finally leaving the main city, IV shooting one last glance at the people who came to see them off. There was Yuma, of course, and the boy who was always clinging to him, Shingetsu Rei, III, Alit, Durbe, Gilag, Mizar, all of them wishing Ryoga good luck, Kurosaki's sister Ruri, and Kaito's father Faker and brother Haruto, all waving them cheerfully.

Turning back around, he was unaware of the long blue hair that flashed in the corner, although he was able to hear steps.

He didn't turn back regardless.

\---

“Did I miss him?” Out of breath, V stopped next to III who didn't even turn to look at him.

“Yeah, can't you see? Thomas was really mad about it too.”

V sighed, still catching his breath as he looked down the gates. The other ones who were here to see their friends off slowly dispersed, talking to each other in a light tone.

“I'll have to apologize to him once he gets back.”

“If you have time for that. Thomas said you haven't said a word to him for a month.”

V frowned. Had it really been that long? “III, you know I'm busy…”

“I know”, his younger brother said curtly, turning to V with a frown. “I also have a message from Thomas. Once you notice he's gone, I'm supposed to tell you that he'll miss you. But he was being sarcastic.”

\---

“I hate going to Stanrituatri.”

Rio rolled her eyes. “Pull yourself together, IV. This is very important.”

“Yeah to keep peace and stuff, I know. Still don't get why Yuto wanted to send me. Couldn't he have sent someone more... diplomatic?”, IV complained.

“He must have thought about that, trust him. He doesn't do anything without a reason”, Kurosaki next to them said, making IV groan.

“But think about it; why didn't he send III? He likes that kinda stuff and no one can say no to his puppy eyes. And I know he doesn't have anything to do. It's win-win, right?”

“I wish he sent III, too”, Kaito growled from behind. “He shuts up when you tell him to.”

IV opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by Ryoga. “Let's just get this over with. The faster we are, the less complaining we have to put up with. From both IV and our king”, he grunted, pushing a stray branch out of the way.

IV gasped in fake anger and started complaining even more, at the same time, Kurosaki murmured something about how the king does not complain.

It annoyed Ryoga so much that instead of pushing the branches away, he just started cutting the ones that were in his way, making IV say that he couldn't just do that, because trees were living beings too, Ryoga barking back at him how he once set an entire forest on fire just because he thought it was fun.

Kurosaki had nearly spit his drink out at that, while Kaito had grumbled under his breath like he had the entire time.

Rio imagined how much more fun it would've been if she was sent with her brother, Tetsu, Yuma and III. 

\---

“Welcome, Xymanzians. You're early.”

A boy with teal hair and emerald green eyes greeted them, gesturing them inside. “My name is Johan. I'm from Fusinorion and so are my comrades over there, Edo Phoenix and Manjoume Jun. Nice to meet you.”

The room was empty save for the three men that had just introduced themselves, a roundtable with seats which they were supposed to be seated on and themselves, the Xymanizians.

“Looks like the Sychronadonians and the Pendulosenians haven't arrived yet”, Kaito said, sitting down at the table, Rio, IV, and Ryoga doing the same.

“Ah, nice to meet you too. My name's Kurosaki Shun. The ones sitting in the table are Kamishiro Ryoga”, he pointed at the blue-haired boy the farthest away from them. “His sister Rio, Tenjou Kaito and IV.”

Johan nodded. “I know Rio and Ryoga, we usually meet here, after all. But where are Yuma, Alit, and Durbe? Were they busy?”

His question seemed to annoy most of the Xymanzians, so he shyly took a step back and didn't question them anymore. 

The Sychronadonians arrived soon later, sending Hogan Crow, Fudo Yusei and Ruka and lastly, the Pendulosenians arrived with Hiragi Yuzu, Sawatari Shingo and Akaba Reiji.

“Sorry we are late”, said the last mentioned curtly. “There were complications on our way here.”

Yusei just nodded. “It doesn't matter. Let's start the meeting.”

The other ones in the room agreed, Pendulosen's Akaba Reiji raising his hand to speak first. “We of Pendulosen enjoy the peace we have right now. We do not wish to fight. Our land is flourishing and our children are growing. Things are perfect in Pendulosen. Which means we are getting stronger. We have heard that Xymanz struggles with feeding all of their people, so our king, Pendulosen Sakaki Yuya, has asked us to tell you that we will do anything in our power to help. I hope you will accept our help.”

Kurosaki's eyes widened.” But you can't-” Rio interrupted him. “Oh, thank you very much. Our king will be happy to hear this. Please carry our thanks to king Yuya as well.”

Akaba nodded and signaled he was done, letting Kurosaki speak next. “Even though our land may not be as fertile as Pendulosen’s”, he glared at Akaba “or our army not as big as Fusinorion’s or our technology not as advanced as Sychronadonia's, were still strong. Don't underestimate us. Of course, we still wish to maintain peace, but if anything needs to be fought over, we will fight.” He nodded at Yusei, who nodded back before speaking.

“We of Sychronadonia desire peace above all. We want to help all kingdoms to technology like ours, so we propose to strengthen the trading routes. We don't only want to share the goods among other cities, but other kingdoms as well. Trade can help both parties, too. Many of us always wanted to try purely Pendulosenian Food.”

The Xymanzians and Pendulosenians agreed and thought about several routes, showing them on the map in the middle of the roundtable. “What about you, Johan, Edo, Manjoume? What do you think about the trading routes?”

The three Fusinorians, who had stayed completely silent until now, all perked up at their names being called, Johan the first to speak up. “Ah, I think they'll be unnecessary.”

Yusei looked at him with a confused face. “But why? Encouraging trade is…”

Edo raised a hand, showing Yusei that he wished to speak, Yusei stopping with slight disdain on his face. “Fusinorion declares war to Xymanz, Sychronadonia, and Pendulosen. There will be no need for further discussion.”

A deadly silence filled the room, Rio's shocked voice sounding first. “What? War? Johan…” She looked at the teal-haired boy to her left. “What is he saying? It's not true is it?”

Johan smiled at her, cold and cruel. “But it is. This is a message from King Fusinorion Yuri III. We declare war to all the kingdoms and we will not stop until every single piece of land is ruled by him.”

“Is there nothing we can say to change your mind?”, Akaba asked, but Johan shook his head. “Nothing. It is what our king decided.”

“Then there's no need to prolong this meeting”, Yusei grit out, all of his comrades raised from the table and eyeing the Fusinorians suspiciously. IV noticed how he and his friends had a similarly defensive position.

“I agree”, Edo said and rose from the table, Johan and Manjoume following his example. “Today, we will part on peaceful terms. But from tomorrow on, you will have to be ready for an attack.”

He turned around, his cape swishing because of his movement. “This is farewell. As for I'm not so sure if the next month, we will be able to meet.” 

Without another word, he and the other two swordsmen left, leaving the others confused and somewhat scared.

“With this change of circumstances, I cannot guarantee the help out king promised”, Akaba said, the Xymanzians glaring at him. “Forgive me.”

“We will talk about the trading routes once the situation is clear” Yusei added, both the Synchronadonians and the Pendulosenians leaving with a curt goodbye.

“They want to make it home as fast as possible to relay the message”, Kaito said. “Can you blame them? I want to tell king Yuto as soon as possible too, so we can form a plan in case of an attack.”

The others nodded. “We're the closest to Fusinorion, too…”, Kurosaki said with a frown, all of them leaving the single lonely building in Stanrituatri.

“Let's hurry.”

\---

It was dark when they finally reached the familiar forest that surrounded the main city of Xymanz.

“Let's run”, Kaito said, breaking into a fast sprint, the others forced to do the same. “It's not so far anymore.” 

“B-but why?”, Rio asked behind him, panting. “I have a bad feeling about this”, he answered, running even faster.

IV couldn't deny that he felt something ominous himself. But that feeling intensified as the full moon's light was suddenly covered by something, making the way they ran completely pitch-black.

“Is that smoke?”, Kurosaki asked next to him, his voice laced with worry as he looked up the sky, Ryoga doing the same after hearing his words.

“Shit, it is!” 

Panic surged through IV. Maybe there was a perfectly reasonable explanation for the smoke. Maybe they started a big fire to grill. Maybe Yuma invented a new festival again. But it was just to much smoke. Way too much smoke to be something casual as this.

IV felt sick.

As they came closer and closer, something seemed to glow in the direction of their city. A red glow in the dark. IV thinks about Michael, and how he refused to hug him before he left.

“Fire!”, Rio choked out, Ryoga and Kaito desperately trying to run faster.

As they ran past the last hill and slid down to the gates of their city, shock filled their features, their eyes widening, mouths opening.

Their city was glowing in a whole new color. It was covered in it, even the sky taking it. 

Red...

IV thinks about Michael.

“What the fuck happened?!”, Ryoga shouted, Rio completely frozen on the spot, Kurosaki stopping Kaito from charging right in.

“Haruto! Father!”, he screamed, Kurosaki trying to soothe him. “Don't worry. I'm sure they made it out in time. They're safe.”

“No, they're dead. I killed them.”

At the sound of the new voice, all heads snapped up, three silhouettes standing on the roof of the gate, one of them slumped while the other crouched, the third on standing proud as he held the first silhouette by the hair.

“Fusinorians? Are you Fusinorians? You promised today would be a day of peace!”, Rio cried, making the silhouette snort. 

“No…”, Ryoga whispered, his eyes wide as he took a step forwards. “Those aren't Fusinorians. Can't you recognize them?”

Balling his fist, he cried out. “Why? WHY? YUMA! SHINGETSUUUUU!!!!”

And as he called out, the smoke cleared out a bit, making it possible to see a boy with orange hair matching the flames, axe strapped to his back, the crouched boy next to him unmistakably Yuma with his unique hair, bow still in his hand and glass over one of his eyes, in a position ready to fight. 

“No…!” Rio whispered, Kurosaki gasping. “Yuto! What have you done, Shingetsu!”

The third silhouette was no one else but Yuto. His eyes were closed and a gaping wound was in his chest, blood still oozing out if it, rhythmically dropping to the roof.

“Did...you kill him?”, IV asked with a slight tremor in his voice, all he got for an answer was Shingetsu's maniac laugh. 

The five stayed silent, just staring at Shingetsu's laughing form, his hand still in Yuto's hair, Yuma next to him staring at them apathetically, looking ready to shoot them at any minute.

“Shi-shingetsu…”, Rio started, but she was interrupted by the orange haired boy. “Stop calling me that, it's Vector, V-E-C-T-O-R, Vector, okay! That's my name! So call me that!”

“Did you really kill Haruto?”, Kaito asked in cold fury, finally recovered from the shock that Vector had inflicted upon him, eyes burning with the desire to kill.

For a while, neither party said anything. But then, Vector opened his mouth with a smirk.

“I did.”

Kaito didn't say anything, just sheathed his spear, which was enough of an answer. But Vector wasn't finished talking.

“And that's not all. I killed them all! ALL! OF! THEM! I KILLED EVERY SINGLE HUMAN IN THIS SHITTY CITY!” He laughed again, finally dropping Yuto, who fell down to the ground the roof with a dull thud. The five below him held a breath.

“I started with the king”, he said, his left boot stomping directly on Yuto's head, making Kurosaki snarl at him in anger. “Killed him when his back was turned towards me. The look of betrayal he had was priceless!”

Vector continued, grinning like a madman. “Then I took out the Royal Guard. Alit, Durbe, Gilag, and Mizar were not paying any attention to me, because I'm just cute lil’ Shingetsu, right? They didn't even know the king died before them.”

Ryoga grit his teeth, while Rio screamed, her hands both on her head.

“Afterwards, I took out the proud brothers of the Arclight family. V didn't even notice death knocking right at his door until his little brother sacrificed himself for him. Taking him out while he wailed at his brother's corpse was too easy.”

IV's eyes widened. His heart felt a painful stab, his hand immediately clutching the cloth that covered his chest, approximately around the area where he supposed his heart was.

“It was only after I killed so much that people started noticing, but it was already too late. Because all that was left were the knight apprentices and the instructors. I struck down Droite, Gauche and the old man. Even though they are instructors, they are still pathetically weak in comparison to me.”

He was met with deadly silence.

“Afterwards, all that was left was to kill all of the apprentices. Anna. Robin. Kaze. Tetsuo. Takashi. Tokunosuke. Cat. And then they were all dead.” Ending his speak with a laugh, Vector turned to Yuma with a hint of a smile.

“The civilians that were left were also killed, of course. Everyone was struck down. The ones I didn't get were killed by my partner, YU-MA!”

Yuma didn't even seem to acknowledge that Vector was talking to him, a cold frown on his face. 

“Of course…”, IV said, ready to break, laughing as if Vector just told a funny joke. “With a bow that can reach anywhere and glasses that can see anyone, I can see how that would be easy!”

“Riiiiight?” 

Behind Vector, the flames continued to crack as they swallowed the flag of the kingdom on the gate, making it burn away and turn to ashes.

“And that's the story of how I destroyed an entire city in just a single day! TA~DA~!”

In a smooth movement, Vector stepped down from Yuto's body, kicking it down the roof with a laugh.

“There, have your king back! He was boring and easy to kill!”

Kurosaki moved out of reflex, throwing himself forward to catch Yuto before he could hit the ground. He barely managed so, but his own clothing were pulled through the dirt in the process, making Vector snort loudly.

“Yuto…! Yuto!”, he called, gently shaking the boy that Vector had dropped, his body as cold as ice even though the city he once ruled was burning because of hot fire.

“He's dead! Don't you get it? Dead! DEAD!”, Vector shouted from above in clear amusement, Kurosaki ignoring him as tears sprung in his eyes, continuing to shake his friend desperately.

“You should probably be more worried about your sister than a dead body! Oh, wait, same thing!”

Kurosaki's eyes glazed over, but otherwise, he didn't react, continuing to whisper to his friend, still shaking him, as I'd it would help to awake him. Kurosaki's coat was drenched in the same color that now the city glowed in, in his friend's red blood.

IV was still frozen on the spot, staring at the horrid scene in front of him, listening to Vector's taunts, Rio and Ryoga in a similar situation. Only Kaito screamed in anger, and now that Kurosaki was not there to hold him back anymore, he was free to charge.

“VECTOOOOORRRR!!!!”

“Tch.” It was the first sound that Yuma made ever since they had arrived, but it was so un-Yuma-like, IV actually questioned if this was all a dream.

“Target confirmed. Correcting terrain data. Constructing firing arc.” Yuma eyes narrowed. “Firing preparations complete.” Between Yuma's fingers and his bow, an arrow out of pure energy formed. “Firing!”

The bolt of energy that Yuma shot pierced Kaito right through the right shoulder, making him scream in pain as he dropped his spear, Vector kicking his defenseless body down again, laughing.

Yuma's arrow stopped before hitting the ground, curving and heading straight for IV, who still hasn't gotten out of his frozen posture, only staring helplessly as Yuma's arrow came closer, piercing his stomach.

Pain blossomed where it hit, IV lying on the ground before he even realized what was happening, blood slowly oozing out his wound and mouth. “Hurts…”, he croaked out, hands trying to clutch the wound but too weak to move, his vision slowly fading as he lost more blood. 

The last thing he saw was Yuma's arrow heading for Rio, but Ryoga dispersed it with his spear. 

“YUMA WHY…”

“EVEN KOTORI…”

“sister…family...”

“...”


	2. There's nothing holding me here

_IV and his team, Rio, Ryoga, Kaito, and Kurosaki attend the representative meeting between the four kingdoms. Usually a peaceful meeting, everyone is surprised as the kingdom of Fusinorion suddenly declares war on all of them. Hurrying to the main city of Astabarial to have a strategic meeting with their king, they are surprised a second time as their entire city is in flames. The culprits are Shingetsu, now calling himself Vector, and Yuma, who have slaughtered the entire city, even the king._

_This is a story of four warring kingdoms._

_After a declaration of war by the militaristic and strong kingdom Fusinorion, ruled with an iron fist by Fusinorion Yuri III, the three remaining kingdoms, the progressive and advanced kingdom Sychronadonia, ruled by the young and adventurous Sychronadonia Yugo, the poor but rebellious kingdom of Xymanz, their king Xymaniz Dark Yuto calm and fierce, and the peaceful kingdom of Pendulosen, ruled by the beloved but inexperienced Pendulosen Sakaki Yuya, have two choices; fight together against the Fusinorian army or perish. ___

____

The blue-haired girl thanked him, her fake smile obvious.

“It was no problem, really”, Yuya answered, “Your thanks are reward enough.”

Her two friends were resting, the dual brown blond snoring loudly, his stomach wound only an angry red spot now, scarring luckily avoided because of the staff he used. The other blond was turned away from them, probably asleep. The damage done to his shoulder was not as bad as the stomach wound of the other, now that he used some magic on it it should feel as good as new.

“Can I ask for your name?”, the girl asked.

Yuya stopped for a minute to think. To tell her he was a Pendulosenian seemed like a bad idea, so he tried to whack his mind to come up with an alias. He didn't want to outright tell her that he doesn't want to tell her; that felt like it would be suspicious as well.

“I'm...uh, I'm...Yusho! Yeah, my name's Yusho.”

The girl looked at him with a raised eyebrow but didn't question him further, instead averting her gaze towards the two allies. “Yusho, huh. I'm sorry, you look a lot like someone I knew. I can't thank you enough for helping to heal them. They, along with my brother and another friend, are the only ones I have left.”

The pain in her eyes and voice when she said this was so raw that Yuya wanted to comfort her, but he knew there were no words from him that could cheer her up.

He didn't want to push her into telling what happened either. So he decided to stay silent.

She looked up at him, smiling again, but just as before, it didn't reach her eyes at all, those were glazed over with empty pain and hollowness.

Yuya wanted to make her smile again. A genuine and happy smile. He felt powerless.

“I'm sorry”, he said, but she shook her head. “You don't need to be. After all, you saved the ones I have left.”

Both of them slowly moved to the door of the small hut, Yuya stepping over the swelling while the girl stayed behind the door, closing it halfway. “Thank you”, she repeated one last time, after Yuya nodded closing the door.

He sighed, throwing one last glance at the small hut in the middle of nowhere, a pang of sympathy making his heart heavy as he continued to walk down the path into the nearby forest.

It was silent, only the rustling leaves in the wind could be heard, no bird chirping a song, no deer hurrying up and down the forest, no bugs buzzing in the glow of nature.

It felt like the forest was mourning something.

Yuya wasn't sure why, until he came across a clearing close to the hut the wounded he helped had stayed in.

At the farthest point from the clearing from where Yuya stood, earth formed a bulge on the ground, a makeshift cross build with branches and rope buried into the loose earth. It was decorated with flowers and green rakes, the light falling into the clearing seemingly illuminating the simple grave.

On the other side of the clearing, leaning against a tree, was a boy with dark green hair, maybe a bit older than Yuya, facing the ground.

Curiously, the boy approached, but the other heard his footsteps, whirling around to face his direction, an expression of fierce determination on his face.

“Who's there!”, he barked out, Yuya entering the clearing with raised hands. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you.”

But the other didn't seem to really listen, just staring at him with wide eyes, mouth opened in shock.

Yuya just looked back at him, unsure of what to say. “Is...is there something on my face?”

The green haired boy shook his head slightly, relaxing the slightest bit as he took a step forward. “It's just, you know, I … thought you were dead. I buried you just now, right there”, he pointed at the grave. “So, seeing you here was kind of a surprise. How did you get out?”

He smiled, but it was still looked somewhat weird, genuine, but still fake at the same time, like he really wanted to smile but was unable to.

As he approached Yuya, Yuya stepped back. “Uh, this must be a misunderstanding. I'm was never dead, I'm pretty sure I was never buried, and I'm meeting you for the first time. My name's Yuy-...Yusho.”

The other's eyes narrowed, his defensive posture back immediately. “What are you talking about? Your name is Yuto. Don't you think I would recognize my best friend?”

Yuya shook his head, slowly, carefully. “I'm sorry. I'm not the one you think I am.”

It happened in a flash. The other boy lunged at him, keeping him close as he studied his face closely, Yuya blushing a bit at how close he was.

After a minute of complete silence, he let him go, turning around and kicking a nearby pebble away. “Shit.”

“What's wrong?”, Yuya asked, voice still shaky from being grabbed suddenly. The other barely turned around.

“You look way too much like him. It's kinda creepy.”

“You mean like...your best friend?”, Yuya asked carefully, his glance on the grave in the clearing.

“Yeah. His name was Yuto. He was a great guy, always there to calm me down if I was too rash, fierce in protecting the ones he loved.”

He turned around, looking Yuya right in the eyes. “I don't even know why I'm telling you this. I just...want to, you know? Maybe it's because you look so much like him. Even your name sounds like his. Yuto and Yusho, huh.”

He sat down on the ground, facing the grave. Carefully, Yuya sat down next to him.

“Tell me all about him”, he said softly, the boy next to him looking at him in surprise.

“...he, he was amazing.” The other boy started speaking. “We’ve been friends ever since we were little. Him, me and my sister. We were always together. He was always the one who told us that the things we were going were dangerous, you know? And when we got hurt, he always said ‘I told you’, but he tried his best to patch us up anyway. And he always tried to protect us, too.”

His eyes were soft and his mouth curved into a slight smile as he talked.

“There was that one time my sister was badly hurt. And I wanted to kill the bastard that did that so badly. I nearly did kill, actually. But Yuto stopped me. I didn't know why at that time. I was so mad at him. Later, it turned out that the one we thought was the culprit was actually innocent. I nearly killed an innocent man.”

Yuya nodded in understanding, but the other didn't seem to pay attention to him, completely lost in his own world.

“One time, our city was in danger of being raided by a known bandit group here. I was scouting the area and spotted a suspicious person with the same weapons the bandits were famous for using. I attacked immediately. Didn't let them explain themselves. Yuto had to stop me again. It was just a big misunderstanding. Told me I was way to rash with my decisions. Told me I was too impatient.”

Yuya listened silently as the other boy told him stories about his best friend, tears grazing his cheeks as he stopped for a second, wind messing with their hair and clothing, leaves slowly falling down along.

“...I was in love with him”, the green haired boy whispered. He didn't bother to wipe the tears away.

“He always protected my sister and I. He always did. But I wasn't able to protect him, not when he needed me the most.”

Softly, Yuya took his hand, the boy stiffening at first, but relaxing after a second. The contact seemed to calm him down.

“I never had the guts to tell him. Everyone was just saying how he'd probably marry my sister one day. He even asked me if I would be okay with that. I felt like...I didn't belong. So I never said a word.”

Yuya squeezed his hand, the other squeezing back. He started to lean on the younger, which Yuya allowed without much fuss. They stayed like that in comfortable silence for a while, until the sun began to set and the clearing was filled with an orange glow.

Yuya didn't protest much as he was pulled up alongside the rising boy, standing up on his own. “Sorry about this...and thank you”, he said, smiling, in a sad manner but still laced with some happiness.

“Don't worry about it, uh…”

“It's Shun. Kurosaki Shun.”

“Oh, okay, Shun.”

Shun nodded, clearly satisfied. “Say, Yusho, you're not from around here, aren't you?”

Yuya shook his head, deciding he could deny this question without too much trouble. 

“I could tell. There's not a lot of people here that don't know who Yuto is.”

“Why, is he famous?”, the younger one asked curiously, but Shun shook his head.

“Well, you could say that.”

He looked at Yuto's grave one last time, before turning to face Yuya. “I can lead you anywhere. I know Xymanz like I know my west pocket.”

Yuya glanced at Yuto's grave as well. “Are you really okay with this?”

“I am, Yusho. There's nothing that keeps me here. My sister and Yuto are dead. I felt nothing but pain and sorrow ever since. But around you, I feel …. comfort. I want to know why that is. And for that, I need to get to know you closer.”

Yuya nodded. “Okay, if you're sure, I'd love to travel with you.”

“I am”, Shun vowed. And as Yuya turned around to leave the clearing and talk about where he wanted to go next, Shun also whispered underneath his breath, for the other boy impossible to hear: “I'll protect you.”

When Yuya reached the end of the clearing, he patiently waited for Shun to catch up, as the other threw one last look at Yuto's grave, eyes determined and clear.

“Goodbye, Yuto, Ruri.”

\---

“Kurosaki's gone.”

Rio looked up at her brother, her eyes tired. 

“I went to the clearing to get him inside for the night, but he wasn't there.”

“Do you think he was attacked?”, Rio asked, but Ryoga shook his head. “No signs of fighting. No blood, no cuts on the trees, nothing. He must've left.”

“But where to?”, Rio murmured, her brother shrugging his shoulders. “I don't know.”

Both of them didn't say anything, both troubled with the thought that Kurosaki may never return again.

“Think he's gone...do you know what?”, Ryoga questioned, Rio next to him just choosing to stay silent.

“He wouldn't do that, get your head out of the gutter”, a voice called, Ryoga looking up to see Kaito leaving his bed, one hand on his once hurt shoulder, pressing against it in wonder.

“He was really shaken up…”

“But he's not a sissy. He's strong. Maybe he left to become stronger.” Kaito’s eyes narrowed. “We should try to get stronger, too. So the next time we see Yuma and Vector…” His voice was laced with fury and venom as he spat out those two names, his fists balled.

“So the next time we see them …” his fist slammed into the wall next to him. “We can crush them dead.”

With those words, he left the hut, leaving the stunned pair of siblings behind.

“He seems fine”, Ryoga noted, his sister nodding. “A traveling healer was here a moment ago. He took care of their wounds.”

“So IV is fine now, too?”

“Well, his wound was way more severe than Kaito's was, so it'll take a bit more time until he's fully recovered. But the traveler said it won't even scar, so that's good, I guess.”

Ryoga nodded. “Yeah, that's good.” He traced IV's scar over his eye, a slight frown over his face, the other sleepily murmuring as he tried to slap the hand away.

“This one's enough.”

\---

Manjoume pointed his blade at the enemy, a big frown on his face. It was one-versus-three. Well, technically it was a two-versus-three, but someone refused to do anything.

“Johan, I swear to God, I'm going to tell Judai about this and you're going to get demoted.”

The teal-haired boy just raised an eyebrow with a laugh. “Oh come on, Manjoume, we both know those are little fish. You can take them on your own! 1, 10, 100, 1000, Manjoume Thunder, Thunder, right?”

“Sanda!”, the other groaned out, Johan smiling lazily at him. “Thunder”, he repeated innocently, Manjoume frowning even more.

“Stop frowning, you'll get wrinkles!”

It was at that moment that Sychronadonia's Andre and Breo decided to strike, Manjoume's back still facing them as he focused on Johan.

Effortlessly, he blocked both if their attacks with his blade in his right hand and his arm guard on his left arm, eyes still trained on Johan.

“What…?”, Andre gasped out but didn't get to say more as both he and his partner were kicked away in an instant, both of them flying meters away, unable to catch themselves as they tumbled to the ground, leaving a cloud of dust.

“But it's your fault I'm frowning!”, Manjoume meanwhile barked back, only getting a laugh.

Jean's eyes were widened, unsure what to do. Both of his comrades looked like they couldn't get up anymore. After just one kick from this Fusinorionain swordsman.

Quickly, he tried to think of a plan, but he was also unable to finish a thought as Manjoume suddenly appeared in front of him, back still turned towards the Sychronadonian.

“I fucking hate you, Johan”, he growled, casually driving his blade behind him, piercing it straight through Jean's chest.

“What the fuck…”, Jean murmured as he slowly lost consciousness, his blood soiling the green grass below them, staining it dark red.

“I know you do! But camaraderie always comes along time, no?”, was the last thing he was able to hear, the sickening cheeriness in the voice made him feel disgusted one last time as his life faded from him.

“JEAN!”, Andre shouted, hurrying to stand up to save his comrade, but again Manjoume appeared next to him out of nowhere, his blade driven into the other's throat.

“Judai always tells me to get along with you. That's why he always sends us together as well. But I hate you. And nothing will change that”, he said, drowning the sounds of choking next to his feet out.

Johan hummed thoughtfully. “Really now. Not even Judai can change your mind?”

“Not even Judai”, Manjoume confirmed, while using his blade to carelessly flick a lightning bolt towards were Breo was fleeing to, a scream of pain confirming his hit.

Johan sighed sadly while Manjoume cleaned his blade and put it back into its sheath, grumbling to himself as he did so.

“Not even Judai?”, he tried again, Manjoume glaring at him. “No.”

“But don't you want to get along with me, Manjoume?” He tried to scare Johan with a harder glare. It didn't work, so he had to answer.

“I don't. And sanda.” Johan looked at him with the best puppy eyes a near adult could make.

“Are you sure, Manjoume Thunder?”, he said innocently, Manjoume groaning.

“I am. And you're saying it wrong”, he said with a frown, Johan tilting his head to the side to show Manjoume that he was obviously confused.

“... please?”, he tried one last time, Manjoume already turning away.

“No.”

“Hey, where are you going, don't we have those guys to defeat...oh wait you're done? I mean I did say they were little fish, but I didn't think they were this little.” Johan whistled as he inspected the three bodies, Manjoume only rolling his eyes.

“Man, I didn't even notice them going down. I feel kind of bad for them. I was talking to you the whole time, wasn't I?”, Johan said with a raised eyebrow.

“Hmph. It was their own fault for thinking they could compete with not only one, but two of the Elemental Blades of Fusinorion. Fools.”

Johan shrugged. “Still, you killed all three of them while talking to me? Are you a genius? And what do you mean, competing with two blades? I didn't even do anything, it was all you!”

Manjoume stopped, turning around to glare at his partner. “They were so weak, you could've easily done the same.”

He looked at the ground, a frustrated expression on his face. Johan looked at him in slight worry, reaching out, but Manjoume spoke up again before his hand could find the other's shoulder.

“...and we both know you're better than me.”

Johan cooed at the ‘compliment’, even though Manjoume later denied that he ever said that, a suspiciously red face and a lot of averted gazes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not tagging Kurosaki/Yuto because it was one-sided and also Yuto is dead. Don't even know how that and the Kurosaki/Yuya thing happened, it just did.
> 
> Also, sorry for anyone who liked Team Unicorn, their deaths were pretty rough.


	3. Future Vision

_The king of Pendulosen travels to Xymanz, in hope to help the poor people there. He comes across Kurosaki Shun, who still mourns Yuto and his sister's deaths. Feeling comforted by Yuya's presence, he decides to travel with him, leaving Ryoga, Rio, Kaito, and IV behind._

_Meanwhile, Fusinorion has already started the invasion into Sychronadonia, the Elemental Blades of Fusinorion striking blood first._

_This is a story of four warring kingdoms._

_After a declaration of war by the militaristic and strong kingdom Fusinorion, ruled with an iron fist by Fusinorion Yuri III, the three remaining kingdoms, the progressive and advanced kingdom Sychronadonia, ruled by the young and adventurous Sychronadonia Yugo, the poor but rebellious kingdom of Xymanz, their king Xymaniz Dark Yuto calm and fierce, and the peaceful kingdom of Pendulosen, ruled by the beloved but inexperienced Pendulosen Sakaki Yuya, have two choices; fight together against the Fusinorionain army or perish._

“I wish they listened to me”, a man with black, spiky hair with golden highlights murmured, his blue eyes closing as he prayed for his three fallen comrades.

Yusei Fudo looked at his mirror reflection in the water of the fountain within the shrine, the soft flow disturbing the clear image a bit.

He sighed as he sat down at the fountain's edge, tapping his finger in, disturbing the mirror image, patiently waiting for the water to calm down a bit.

However, instead of showing his reflection, the water showed him a blue haired boy, blond strands of hair facing towards the left of his face. His light blue eyes were narrowed, his crown in his balled fist instead of on his head.

 _“Why are you doing this?”_ , King Yugo asked, a familiar voice answering.

_“Is there a reason to want to rule the world?”_

It was the king of Fusinorion, Fusinorion Yuri III, his purple-pink hair shining in the light of what Yusei assumed was moonlight shining through the colored glasses of the Sychronadonian throne room.

 _“Yuri, you started a war that will have countless victims! Do you know how many of my people died? How many people who wanted to protect me died? Like Crow? Like Shinji? Like Rua, Ruka, like … Rin? All of them were killed by your people!”_ He angrily threw his crown to the ground, making clattering sounds.

Yuri hummed thoughtfully, then shrugging with a played confused expression. _“And why should I care?”_

Bewildered, King Yugo stared back at him. _“Didn't you lose some of you people too?”_

 _“I did”_ , was the answer. _“But as I'd know every single one of them. They are dead, so why should I bother? Dying for the sake of their kingdom and king is normal, right?”_

 _“Don't take things like this for granted, you fucking bastard!”_ , King Yugo shouted in furious rage, charging at the other king, his kusarigama swinging above his head.

Yuri held his tome ready. _“Cloris!”_ Just as he commanded the tome, it began to glow in eerie purple light, opening, and pages turning on its own.

Around King Yuri, gigantic vines began to sprout from the ground leaving gaping holes in the ground, the room downstairs visible.

Without much effort, King Yugo sliced through them, but Yuri just summoned more, trying to stop the other's charge. King Yugo was not stopped, however.

 _“YURRRIII!”_ The swinging kusarigama was thrown, Yuri stepping backward to dodge the blade, but to his surprise, the chain wrapped around his tome, King Yugo pulling at the other end of the chain forcibly, Yuri, who was still a bit surprised not resisting as Cloris was pulled away from his hands.

As if an illusion was broken, the vines went slack and died down, Yuri looking around with a confused glance.

King Yugo caught the tome, smirking at his opponent. _“Now you're powerless. A mage without his tome is like a fish on dry land.”_

 _“A surprisingly good comparison considering it's you.”_ Yuri shrugged, patting his clothes as if to dust them off, King Yugo snarling at him.

_“But you're right, without my Cloris I can't use magic. But that doesn't mean I'm powerless.”_

He balled his fists, taking a typical fighting stance. King Yugo's eyes widened, focusing as he stuffed the tome into one of his side pockets, taking a fighting stance as well.

 _“I'll show you that even though I'm a mage, I'm also good with my fists!”_ With those words he charged ahead, getting ready to punch King Yugo, the latter deciding to go for a block.

 _“Have a taste of my fist of fury!”_ His movements were slow and didn't look very strong, but it didn't look like King Yugo was underestimating him, putting on his best defense. Yuri grinned at that.

_“Just kidding~”_

Pulling back at the last second, Yuri raised his arm. _“Fimbulvetr!”_

Instead of a fist, King Yugo's arm was attacked by ice, holding him in place. He snarled at Yuri.

 _“You cheated!”_ , he shouted, the only answer being a laugh.

_“You're so stupid. Did you really think I would have only one tome? You said it yourself, mages are powerless without a tome. So I brought more than one, just in case.”_

As he said that, the tomes started to levitate out of Yuri's pocket, circling him with a purplish glow, turning pages on their own. He approached the King frozen in place, smiling cruelly.

 _“I'll be taking this back”_ , he said, sticking his hand in King Yugo's side pocket, retrieving his tome. Yugo couldn't do anything other than glare and curse at him, fully bound by Fimbulvetr's ice.

As he stepped back, Cloris joined his four other times that floated around him.

_“It's time for you to die, King Sychronadonia Yugo. This is farewell.” ___

_“Yuri…”_ , Yugi tried one last time, but the other snapped his fingers. 

_“Bolganone!”_ Fire surrounded Yugo, the king shouting out a curse one last time. 

_“Rexcalibur!”_ Wind strengthen the fire, making a great blazing flame wand circle Yugo. 

_“Thoron!”_ Maybe it was the lightning and the shock that came along with it that made King Yugo lose consciousness, maybe he had lost consciousness before, Yusei couldn't tell. He watched in horror as all that was left of his king was barely a silhouette in the great blazing flame the other king had caused. 

_“And now, Fimbulvetr! Cloris!”_

____King Yugo was pierced right through the chest by sharp ice and vines, continuing to grow taller even as their victim has already been pierced through, carrying him further up with them as they grew bigger at their base._ _ _ _

_“This is my final present to you, Yugo. I hope you enjoy being one of my artworks.”_

____It was like magic. The fire that surrounded the body parted right at the middle, giving free view to the dead king, lifted up on ice that won't melt and vines that didn't catch fire. Blood was still oozing out of the wound, coloring the once dark blue tiles of the ground in a dark shade of red. The body was basked in an orange glow from the fire, eyes still open from shock and mouth opened into a silent scream, blood also flowing out of there and his nose._ _ _ _

____Lightning struck various spots inside the circle, the wind still blowing, rustling both boys’ hair and clothes._ _ _ _

____Throwing one last glance at his 'artwork’ Yuri turned around, first sniggering to himself, then outright laughing, laughing maniacally as he left the throne room._ _ _ _

____The laugh still haunted him as the vision slowly began to fade into his reflection again, the water clear blue instead of fire and blood red._ _ _ _

____Yusei let out a breath he didn't know he held, a hand on his shoulder nearly making him drop into the fountain._ _ _ _

____“Woah, careful there.”_ _ _ _

____The seer sighed. “It's just you, Jack. I'm sorry.”_ _ _ _

____The other snorted. “No need to apologize. Must've been a bad vision, huh. You look really shaken.”_ _ _ _

____Yusei shook his head, gratefully accepting the handkerchief Jack offered to wipe his sweat away. “Bad is not even to close to what I saw. Call everyone together and notify the king, please. I need to share what I saw.”_ _ _ _

____\---_ _ _ _

____The first thing IV thought about when he woke up is that Michael didn't wake him._ _ _ _

____And then all the memories came rushing back._ _ _ _

____He was in a small wooden cabin, alone in a bed. There was cracking from a nearby fireplace, making IV want to flee the scene as soon as he saw it, but he couldn't get up at all._ _ _ _

____He groaned and tried again, but it was like all his strength had left him._ _ _ _

____Curiously searching his stomach for the wound he had sustained, his eyes widened slightly as he couldn't feel a scar or bandages at all._ _ _ _

____“It was all a dream”, he whispered._ _ _ _

____Maybe he just woke up early and Michael would come in any minute to wake him. Now that he thought about it, it still was dark out, as he could see from the single window in the cabin._ _ _ _

____“You're awake”, a voice suddenly said, a 'Michael’ already on IV's lips, but as he turned his head, he saw a shock of blue hair and dark blue eyes._ _ _ _

____“Ryoga, whassup, man...still feel kinda out of it, can't move at all”, he said, surprised at his own words being so slurred._ _ _ _

____Ryoga frowned at that. “Well, you have been sleeping for an entire week, so I guess you'd need some help to get back in shape.”_ _ _ _

____“Entire week?”, IV croaked out, eyes widening._ _ _ _

____Ryoga nodded. “The fuck happened to me?”_ _ _ _

____A sorrowful look crossed the other's face for a brief second, neutralized immediately, however. “You don't remember?”_ _ _ _

____“Mh, don't at all. Where's Michael… I uh, mean III?”_ _ _ _

____The other sighed as if to think about what to say. “IV...No, Thomas, I hate to tell you this, but...shit, how do you tell this to someone…”_ _ _ _

____“He's dead”, Thomas finished lamely for Ryoga, the latter averting his gaze. “Yeah, I'm sorry.”_ _ _ _

____“So it wasn't a dream after all.”_ _ _ _

____“I'm afraid it wasn't.”_ _ _ _

____Thomas sighed, closing his eyes. “When we left Michael wanted to hug me, but I refused because I was too embarrassed.”_ _ _ _

____Ryoga didn't seem to know what to do in a situation like this, so he just stood by awkwardly._ _ _ _

____“I don't think I ever regretted anything more than this. It was my last chance to hug him, ever. And I didn't do it.”_ _ _ _

____“You couldn't have known…”, his friend started, but IV just shook his head. “I took it for granted. All the time, I was just complaining about Chris to him. I always tried to get Chris's attention, got angry when I didn't get any. But I never really paid attention to my little brother myself. I never realized how lucky I was that I at least got him...until now, now that he's gone.”_ _ _ _

____Again, Ryoga had no answer._ _ _ _

____“I don't want to be IV anymore”, he whispered. “IV was a name I got after Chris came back with Tron. Before, when I was only with Michael, I was Thomas, just Thomas.”_ _ _ _

____Silent tears trickled down his cheeks._ _ _ _

____“I'd do anything to go back to that. Anything to get Michael back.”_ _ _ _

____“Maybe he's not dead. We never saw him die, right? It's just Vector telling us he killed them. You can't tell me to believe a word out of his mouth. Just thinking about how cute and innocent he acted when he was still running around, calling himself Shingetsu… it makes me sick”, Ryoga said with a frown, Thomas not answering, continuing to cry silently._ _ _ _

____Ryoga sighed, scratching his head. “I'm sorry Thomas. I know I'm not good at this, I'll just stop talking. Sleep tight, okay? I'll be right next to you if you need anything.”_ _ _ _

____He got no answer again._ _ _ _

____\---_ _ _ _

____“I'm going to be killed?”, Yugo asked with a frown, Yusei nodding back at him._ _ _ _

____“That's what my vision showed. You were killed by the King of Fusinorion. Plus you mentioned the deaths of Crow, Rua, Ruka, Shinji and … Rin.”_ _ _ _

____The five mentioned looked up at Yusei with big eyes._ _ _ _

____“I want to prevent as many deaths as possible”, Yusei said. “But losing people is unavoidable because of the war with Fusinorion. Maybe we should revise our strategy, however. Especially after they started taking over some of the small villages on the border. As you might know, Andre, Breo, and Jean have fallen.”_ _ _ _

____There was murmuring in the room. Yusei waited until it calmed down._ _ _ _

____“My Lord, I know we wanted to wait out and see what the other kingdoms do, but maybe we should seize this opportunity to ally with the other kingdoms and attack the Fusinorians first!”, Jack said, banging his fist on the table they sat around._ _ _ _

____Yugo seemed troubled at that. “But my relationship with Yuto is bad and I have never seen Yuya or spoken to him ever.”_ _ _ _

____“I don't think that matters”, Crow said, raising both of his hands. “At the meeting, everyone expressed their wish for peace. If we get the situation with Fusinorion under control together quickly, that peace can be achieved. I'm sure King Yuto and King Yuya will agree.”_ _ _ _

____Everyone nodded._ _ _ _

____“Which shall we contact first? Pendulosen or Xymanz?”, Aki asked, causing murmuring between the ones on the table._ _ _ _

____“I really don't wanna meet Yuto, and I'm curious about Yuya, so let's go to Pendulosen first”, Yugo said, the murmuring stopping immediately._ _ _ _

____“Whatever you wish, my Lord”, Yusei said, but as he stood up, he accidentally knocked a glass over. While he was able to stop it from falling down the table, the clear liquid spreading over the glass table couldn't be stopped._ _ _ _

____“Woah, someone got a handkerchief to wipe that or something?”, Crow asked, Aki handing him one._ _ _ _

____But as he moved to wipe it, he was stopped by Jack, holding his arm in a strong grip. “Wait! Can't you see Yusei is having a vision right now?”_ _ _ _

____And he was right, Yusei's eyes were glazed over as he just stared the little puddle the water had created, not saying anything, not hearing anything._ _ _ _

____The entire room held their breaths._ _ _ _

____Finally, Yusei's eyes were focusing again, searching around the room until they landed on Yugo._ _ _ _

____“Forgive me, my Lord, but I think we should go to Xymanz first.”_ _ _ _

____“Why?”, Yugo asked, Yusei frowning at him._ _ _ _

____“I just had a vision. The capital of Xymanz was burning. It was completely destroyed. Fusinorion might plan to attack them first. We need to get there as fast as possible so we can warn King Yuto and stop the fall of the capital of Xymanz!”_ _ _ _

____Yugo furrowed his eyebrows. “Looks like we've got no choice. I may have a bad relationship with Yuto, but I can't ignore this. Aki, Crow, Jack, Sherry, you're coming with me. We're leaving today! I'll leave the city in your capable hands, Yusei.”_ _ _ _

____Yusei nodded. “Yes, my Lord. You can leave it to me.”_ _ _ _

____\---_ _ _ _

____His boots clicked with every step._ _ _ _

____It was like a sign to everyone that he was coming, a warning signal to his enemy. This man is not to be messed with, it screamed._ _ _ _

____In anticipation, the crowd waited, their eyes trained on the little balcony that a speaker would usually stand on, whispering among themselves._ _ _ _

____They were surrounded by high walls of solid stone, making them stand in complete shadow. The balcony, however, was bathed in light. One was automatically drawn to whoever spoke to them from this position._ _ _ _

____“He's coming …”, the crowd whispered._ _ _ _

____“Can't you hear? The boots…”_ _ _ _

____Just like they said, the clicking sound came closer and closer, becoming louder and louder, until it became so loud that everyone heard it, recognized the situation, effectively shutting them all up._ _ _ _

____And now, like in a court of complete silence, a person stepped on the balcony._ _ _ _

____The clicking stopped._ _ _ _

____Even though it was already completely silent, the person slammed his sword with the sheath still on the balcony, both hands on the hilt, keeping it right where he slammed it._ _ _ _

____The crowd moved until everyone had the same distance to another, every line of people consisting out of the same number of people, their stances the same._ _ _ _

____They looked up to the person in the balcony, arms behind their backs and legs apart._ _ _ _

____The person on the balcony, in turn, looked down of them with a smile._ _ _ _

____The person in the crowd that was the person on the farthest right in the first line started to speak in a loud and clear voice._ _ _ _

____“Obelisk Force, all salute Lieutenant General Yuki Judai!”_ _ _ _

____“Sir!”, the force called in unison, saluting synchronized as well._ _ _ _

____“Fellow comrades of the Obelisk Force! The day has come to prove your loyalty and ambition. We, the Obelisk Force of the Fusinorian army, have been chosen to invade Xymanz.”_ _ _ _

____He slammed down his sword sheath one more time._ _ _ _

____“Everything you did in your life was leading up to this moment. That's why I have only one advice for you: win!”_ _ _ _

____“Sir!”, they called in unison once more._ _ _ _

____“Obelisk Force, move out!”_ _ _ _

____With one last salute, the crowd moved to the exit under the balcony, the first row leaving started from the right, afterward the second row and so on._ _ _ _

____“Great speech”, someone said behind Judai, making him turn around._ _ _ _

____“You're back, Johan”, he said with a smile. The teal-haired boy smiled back._ _ _ _

____Together, they went away from the balcony, walking down the corridors._ _ _ _

____“Where are Asuka and Edo?”, Johan asked curiously, Judai chuckling._ _ _ _

____“I tell you after you tell me how scouting was. And where you left Manjoume.”_ _ _ _

____“Thunder!”, Johan cheered, before sobering up. “Scouting was fine. We came across a few villages that were defended by amateur knights. Or maybe they were normal knights by Sychronadonian standard.”_ _ _ _

____Judai nodded. “How did you proceed?”_ _ _ _

____“They recognized us as Fusinorians and proceeded to attack. They severely misjudged who they were up against, however. If they knew we were from the team from the Fusinorian Lieutenant General, they would've taken their legs into their arms and ran. Or maybe not. I can't really get myself to think like a Sychronadonian.”_ _ _ _

____Thoughtfully humming, Judai beckoned Johan to continue. “We took over the villages after Manjoume killed them. By the way, I feel like his self-confidence is somewhat low, maybe you should praise him more.”_ _ _ _

____“Manjoume's self-confidence is too low? Are we even living on the same planet?”, Judai laughed, Johan sniggering along._ _ _ _

____“Just kidding. I know he likes to put up a tough front. Come on, tell me what he did so I can praise him for it. Wait, where is he anyway?”_ _ _ _

____Johan smiled. “He said he'd wait in our room while I get you. So, remember when I said he killed those three knights? You won't believe how he did that …”_ _ _ _

____Johan and Judai made idle talk until they reached the room, reserved for Lieutenant General Yuki Judai and his team, a very moody Manjoume waiting for them._ _ _ _

____\---_ _ _ _

____“This is a surprising turn of events”, Edo noted, Asuka next to him only staring up the ruins._ _ _ _

____“Is this really Astabarial? The capital of Xymanz?”, she asked, looking at the soot and ash on the ground, the black colored stones, and buildings that were on the brink of collapsing._ _ _ _

____“It probably...was.” Edo took a step forward. “Let's take a look around, shall we?”_ _ _ _

____They stepped through what were once the gates, their boots already black because of the soot._ _ _ _

____“It reeks” Asuka said, her hand covering her nose as she continued walking._ _ _ _

____“Yeah. It's not just soot and ash, look”, Edo answered, pointing at something that looked to human to be a building once. There was no way to tell who that was, however, as they were completely charred to the point they were unrecognizable. Asuka looked away, her eyes closed._ _ _ _

____“It's kind of sad, really. Look, Asuka. They're lying on top of another person. They must have tried to protect them until the last second.”_ _ _ _

____“Very touching”, Asuka choked out. “But can you stop making me look at dead bodies and can we leave?”_ _ _ _

____Edo sighed. “Well, you're right, there's probably nothing left. And it's pretty dangerous too. Let's leave.”_ _ _ _

____Asuka breathed a sigh of relief, as she took one last look at the two bodies Edo had mentioned, them lying on top of each other as he had said._ _ _ _

____“To me”, she murmured to herself. “It looks more like they was crying over losing the other, right until they died.”_ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may or may not have watched Kill la Kill and I may or may not have listened to Satsuki's theme as I wrote the scene where Judai appears.
> 
> 1\. Kusarigama=chain-sickle  
> 2\. What Yusei saw about Xymanz wasn't a future vision. Because Xymanz burned down about a week before Yusei ever saw anything. It was just a plain image he saw, but he mistakenly thought it was a future vision.  
> 3\. In case you didn't figure it out: Ryoga=Denial, Kaito=Anger, IV=Bargaining, Kurosaki=Depression, Rio=Acceptance.  
> It's pretty subtle and not that important, but if you knew, take a virtual thumbs up.  
> 4\. The tome names are imported straight out of Fire Emblem. Yuri's personal Tome, Cloris, is based around the Greek goddess of flowers and bloom, Chloris.
> 
> I just noticed, why didn't I just call the capital Heartland? Why some weird mix between Astral and Barian?

**Author's Note:**

> Experimenting to write different things. Sorry for the 'This is a story' thing, I have been watching The Seven Deadly Sins (Anime) and I've been listening to the introduction music while writing the summary. So Chapter Summaries are a thing now.
> 
> Also, I just killed the entire Zexal cast. Serves them right. JK, I love Zexal, believe it or not.


End file.
